Piniella accepts the challenge

By Steve Goldstein Sports Central Columnist

Lou Piniella almost left the Seattle Mariners after the 2001 season in which the team won 116 games, but failed to make a dent in the playoffs. Piniella very briefly considered returning to his former employer, the Cincinnati Reds, until he realized that the Reds would pay him a salary about 60 percent less than Seattle was offering.

So Piniella toughed it out with the Mariners, a solid club that appeared considerably older and weaker in 2002's second half. It didn't help that Oakland's starting pitching went into high gear, and Anaheim's bullpen excelled while its lineup destroyed AL pitching staffs.

Piniella may have wanted to get to Tampa Bay immediately to be with family, but he also may have waited one more season if he'd felt that Mariners' GM Pat Gillick had tried to strengthen the team's lineup for the stretch run. Instead, the last two months found Piniella trying to generate runs from the slumping bats of Ichiro Suzuki and Mike Cameron and the creaking bones of John Olerud and Edgar Martinez.

It's clear that Piniella thought he was in dire straits, because he complained that Gillick hadn't approved a deal for San Diego's Ron Gant. Gant still has occasional power, but he hasn't been a difference-maker since 1995.

Piniella has discussed the challenge of managing Tampa Bay, how it reminds him of taking the job with Seattle. True, there are similarities. Tampa Bay plays its home games in a dump, while the Mariners played in the dank Kingdome. Neither city is willing to support a subpar organization. And both teams were coming off of several struggling seasons.

Two significant differences exist, however. Seattle had already somewhat established itself as an MLB town, despite relatively low attendance. Seattle also had a pair of stars on the horizon in Ken Griffey, Jr. and Randy Johnson, though both would improve by leaps and bounds under Piniella.

Piniella faces the towering tasks of developing young players and having patience with young pitchers, although those aren't his greatest talents. Tampa Bay has some heralded prospects, including Carl Crawford and Rocco Baldelli, but the team has no established stars or even fringe All-Stars at any position.

The Devil Rays traded their lone all-star, outfielder Randy Winn, as part of signing Piniella, though the team did acquire promising infielder Antonio Perez from Seattle in the deal. Tampa Bay's pitching staff has been held together by duct tape, and its immediate prospects aren't overwhelmingly positive.

If it's a challenge Lou Piniella wanted, then it's a challenge he'll get in Tampa Bay. The 2003 season should be more of the same with the Devil Rays as they again approach 100 losses. Don't be surprised, however, if Tampa Bay is a wildcard contender in 2004, thanks to maturing young players and Piniella, who will demand and expect results and respect from his team.

Article courtesy of Sports Central.